Slideshow image

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet,“I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

1 Corinthians 12:21-26

Last week I reflected on the truth that we are each uniquely and wonderfully made my God. We are gifted and equipped in ways that we can thrive. This is an essential thing for us all to hold on to and discover. But this week I want to talk about the flip side of that coin.

We are each uniquely made by God, and we are each made unique. I am not like you. You are not like the person you sit behind on Sunday morning. She is not like the person across the auditorium. We are each gifted in different ways. As a result, you can contribute to the church and the world in ways that I cannot do well. The person sitting in front of you does so in different ways again. The one across the auditorium offers something unique as well.

Because of our uniqueness . . . I need you. And the person sitting near you. And the one across the room. In order for us to truly and fully thrive we need each other to be living out of the gifts and talents God has given us. We each have different things that help us feel alive as we serve. For many years I developed a habit of not passing things off that I could have or thinking that I didn't want to bother other people with certain tasks. I'm discovering that those things I didn't want to "bother" someone else with actually give them joy! In doing to much I was robbing myself of my joy and robbing others of theirs. I needed to discover that we need each other!

One example of this came when I was brought a youth leadership team together to plan a VBS at a previous church. The team was made up of three high school girls who were each uniquely wired. One of the girls was a very artistic and creative person who took the reins of decorating. A second girl was a great up front presence who led the children in their singing. A third girl cautiously approached me and asked, "Can I take care of registration? . . . I really want to make a spread sheet!" Their unique gifts and skills helped the coordination of VBS come together in a beautiful way!

I want to invite each of you to prayerfully consider, what makes you come alive? What do you enjoy doing? What gifts and skills align with that? How could those be used to serve in my home, neighbourhood, community, and church? At Covenant we really need some who love to serve children to join in teaching and supervising our toddlers on Sunday mornings. We are looking for an organizer who could take over the administration of our library. There's a place for those who love to walk alongside people to work with students or adults who could use a listening ear.

Maybe you aren't sure about your uniqueness. Truthfully, many of us have spent our entire lives trying to fit into the mold someone else has crafted for us rather than fostering the person God has created you to be. If you're in that boat and would like someone to help you discover who you are and how you could serve, let me know! I'd love to help you with that.

In the meantime simply ask God what he might have for you. What does he lay on your heart? It could be big. It could be small. Does it excite you? Does it energize you? If so . . . don't be afraid to pursue the you God has made you to be. We need you!